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Random Meetings
---- Ebullience Wharf :This is a sun-bleached dock that extends almost a quarter mile into the choppy blue sea. Massive logs jut up from the water every ten feet or so on both sides of the dock, holding the palmbirch planks that run across it steady as can be. Tiny creamy yellow crustaceans dot the supports and the undersides of the planks, their calcium shells bonding to the wood. The sound of harsh bird cries can be heard in the distance. Dirty white Naturalon fiber ropes are wrapped around the wooden pilons, and many are connected to boats that line the Wharf. Mostly dominated by small freighter ships and sailboats, the dock every so often will berth a tugboat or transit ferry. In fact, at the end of the Wharf, a space has been painted on the wood in white paint that says, "Transit ships only". A post with a button on it sits to one side of the space, and dockhands often lounge around this area. The dock stretches back towards the Harbor, and the shore of this subtropical island. ---- New Luna Transit Ferry toots a loud, cheery horn, and begins to chug away from the dock. Urfkgar is holding an almost full jug of juice and glowering at the transit ferry as it leaves. Ace frowns as she slows down, sighing as she looks up at Urf, "Hate it when that happens." "Stupid stuff," agrees the Zangali as he takes the cap off his juice. Ace shrugs, "Were you in a hurry?" "Nope," says the lizard as he drinks some juice; although, he mostly just succeeds in splashing himself with juice since he just kind of tilts his head back and then tips the jug over above his open mouth. Then, he drops it back to his side and recaps the container. "Then I guess we just enjoy the view, da?" Ace replies, sweeping her arm out towards the scenic bay. "Urf see. Urf no care," says the Zangali with a shrug. Then, he shifts the subject, asking, "Want talk marines now?" "Why not," Ace replies, "Have nothing else to do." Urfkgar grunts and nods to Ace as he watches the ferry. He asks, "Want go stupid softskin stupid flierer thingy?" "Which particular stupid flierer thingy are you speaking of?" Ace asks with a chuckle. "Stupid softskin girly stupid softskin fliererer thingy," specifies Urfkgar as he stands by the ferry post, talking to Ace. Urasial steps from the ferry and onto the dock, wobbling uncertainly on his stumpy legs and swaying a bit. He stumble over the side of the dock and bends over, a low grumble rising in his throat before he empties the contents of his stomach into the sea. "Ah, /my/ ship, da," Ace nods, "Would be more than willing to give you a ride up to Hancock, assuming that is where we are going?" She watches Urasial as he stumbles to the rail, raising an eyebrow as he vomits. "First ferry ride?" "Yup," say Urfkgar. His good eye tracks over towards the apparently seasick Castori, but he doesn't bother to comment on Urasial's predicament. Urasial straightens up and turns towards Ace, carping his head up as he wipes a paw across his muzzle uncertainly. "First time at sea, yes. And I've always been so fine in space, too..." Ace reaches into her pocket and offers the Castori a clean, crisp handkerchief, "Very much know the feeling, though my first time at sea was in a submarine. Did not take to it very well." Urfkgar scratches at his shoulder with his free hand. He's got a jug of juice in his other. Urasial accepts the offered handkerchief with a muttered thanks, rubbing at his face for a moment and handing it back covered in a sort of greenish mucus. "Underneath the water? I don't even want to think about that..." "Considering we were dropped from orbit first?" Ace chuckles, "Was much to not think about." She gives him a nod as she heads for the ferry, "Keep it," she waves to the handkerchief. Urasial gives the handkerchief a little shake, scattering the worst of it on the sea breeze. He then stows it away in his coat, nodding his thanks. "See you." Urfkgar lumbers towards the ferry after Ace. The jug of juice swings loosely at his side. He stops briefly to dig a card out of his pocket and toss it Urasial's way. The card reads: Join the NLM, protect the planet, save the universe, earn good money, learn a job skill, etc. The print gets smaller and smaller as it goes. ---- New Luna Transit Ferry :This hydrogen-powered ferry is equipped comfortably but rustically. On the sandpaper-like black deck is an old-fashioned steering tiller, several bolted metal benches facing outwards, and a large brass railing that travels its entire perimeter. Inside the spacious cabin, there are rough tan fabric benches, bolted wooden tables, a small bar with a bartender, and several vending machines, as well as facilities to watch a movie on a holoprojector. Several small maps are displayed on each of the interior walls, showing the following destinations. ---- Ace stands at the rail, enjoying the breeze as the ferry chugs along. Urfkgar splashes juice about as he takes a few more swigs, earning himself a few bitter looks from the ferry crew which he probably doesn't notice. "What kind of juice is that?" Ace asks. "Goodererer juice. No stupid no goodererer juice," Urf answers. "Dumb question," Ace replies with a knowing nod, "Should have known better, but then again, am glutton for punishment. What makes gooderer juice gooderer and no gooderer juice no gooderer?" "Urf like goodererer juice. Urf no like stupid no goodererer juice," explains the Zangali helpfully. "And still I persist," Ace mutters, "So how do you order juice if you want what you like?" "Urf say Urf want goodererer juice. Urf no want stupid no goodererer juice," says Urfkgar. "Stupid stuff know do stuff Urf say." Ace shrugs, "Will try to remember that if you ever need more juice," she replies, heading off of the boat. A short walk and flight later... ---- Meeting Room :This executive room is carpeted in a utilitarian midnight blue weave, with a large, round table in the middle of the room. In a hole in the center of the table sits a miniature holographic imager. A viewscreen adorns one wall, and a rewritable board adorns the opposite wall. A port-style door leads to the Command Deck. ---- Jantine nods to Bremont "Hey, how yah doing?" he asks, Jan and Bree are sitting at seats close to the door, and Ed is standing to the side of the door, looking around. Edouard doesn't take long to look around. He then walks to the table and sits down, folding his hands on it. Bremont leans in slightly towards Jan. "Just wondering what all the fuss is about. I must of missed something." Bremont shrugs her shoulders as she sits back in her seat at the table. Urfkgar ambles in, looking professional as ever with a half empty jug of juice in his bad hand. From the looks of things a significant amount of that juice was spilled on himself. By way of introduction, he says, "Stupid stuff. Hear stupid softskin girly." Bremont began to rise at the presence of Urf, but then immediate took her seat when the woman began speaking. Her lips immediately become pursed as she listens to the woman's words. Her hand raises to her temple as she continues to listen. "If someone could dim the lights," Ace asks politely as she taps a few keys on her PDA, bringing up the display. Some flunky, desk jockey dims the lights. Bremont turns towards the viewscreen expectantly, waiting for the presentation to begin. Her lips are still pursed together, but she neither looks or says nothing else at this time. Bremont simply waits. "To begin with," Ace says, "There are over ten thousand Nall stationed at the base." She pauses to let that sink in. "They guard over 3000 prisoners which were taken after the war when they retreated to within the Nexus." Edouard looks over to the holo. His eyes widen a little bit at it; but that came before hearing the Nall count. Urfkgar posts himself up against the wall with a view of the PDA display. Jantine just watches and listens, he does look a little stunned when he hears the numbers, but for the most part doesn't really react to anything. Bremont begins to tap a few of fingers idly on the table before her. Her expression worsens as her predisposition becomes more obvious as she continues to listen in. "The plan involves three different stages," Ace explains, "Infiltration, ship to ship combat, and ground assault. The NLM will be an important part of the ground assault team." Urfkgar's good eye tracks across those seated at the table before returning his attention to Ace. Dirionis leans against the wall after entering, staying silent as he listens to the speaker. He clenches and unclenches his fist, tilting his head down towards the ground a little. Jantine looks a little concerned about the prospect of ship to ship combat, but keeps listening. "The purpose of infiltration is twofold," Ace continues, "To report back to the assembled fleet and give current and relevant intel and to prepare the prisoners for a rapid escape. The purpose of this raid is to retrieve the prisoners and retreat. It is not to destroy the base as we do not have the firepower and support for such an operation," she eyes Urf at those last words. The Zangali snorts, but he doesn't bother making any 'coherent' comments. Bremont's idle tapping evolves into a faint pattern as she stares at the viewscreen blankly, waiting for it to continue. Withholding any further judgment for now, Bremont keeps her expression the same. Dirionis remains quiet, glancing at Urfkgar and Ace a moment, before again paying attention. Urfkgar is leaning against the wall. The lights are dimmed with the other NLM types around the table. Ace is making a presentation, using the display on her PDA. "Once the infiltration team has completed their job," Ace continues dispassionately, "They will contact the fleet who will engage the Nall, hopefully with some support in the form of sabotage by the infiltration team. It is their responsibility to take and hold the landing field to allow the ground forces to be dropped in." Joshua quietly opens the door and slips inside the room before quietly shutting it. Slowly crossing the floor, he eases himself into the first seat he can find, glancing around the table and then up to Ace. Urfkgar scratches at his shoulder as he briefly shifts his attention to Joshua before refocusing his eye on Ace. "Once we are secure on the ground, the fleet will drop off your forces on the landing pad," Ace looks around the table. "Your job will be to cut and hold a path from here," she indicates the prisoner compound, "To here," she points back to the landing pad. "And to assist any prisoners in need of help in reaching the evacuation ships as they come in behind you." She looks around again, "Any questions?" Jantine raises his hand. Ace nods to Jantine. Bremont begins to raise her hand, but Jantine beats her to it. She concedes and lets her hand drop. "Will any NLM ships be involved and if so, what will we be doing?" asks Jan. "That will very much depend on your commanding officers," Ace replies, "Each planet is deciding precisely what forces to send and in what capacity they are to be used. The RNS, they will be in charge of space operations, so any ship to ship combat will come under their jurisdiction. If the NLM wishes to have ships there or landing their people on the planet and evacuating prisoners, that is up to them." Joshua nods in agreement with Aces comment. "Anyone else?" Ace looks around at the assembled men and women. Bremont now raises her own hand since Ace is finished with Jantine. Ace gives another nod, this time in Bremont's direction. The lizard lounges against the wall, not doing much. Joshua sits back in his chair, hands clasp before him Dirionis raises a brow towards Bremont, listening. "Please explain the whole..assisting of the prisoner’s role the NLM is assigned to...if you will...ma'am. If we aren't the ones going in and physically springing the prisoners than who is? Our hands are most likely going to be tied with 10,000 angry Nall breathing down our necks." Bremont's voice is mostly calm as she speaks, but her final words aren't so. "You are not the only ones who will be going in to assist," Ace explains, "There are forces from Demaria, Ungstir, Sivad and LaTerre involved as well as a number of independent vessels. We will not know the condition of all the prisoners until we can get in there, but there are bound to be some who are not mobile. It is the plan to try to help the organize themselves...many of the prisoners are military personnel and therefore disciplined. But a situation like this, it is unpredictable. Your primary job is to provide cover fire, but if the opportunity and need presents itself, you are to bodily carry prisoners out if they cannot manage it themselves." Joshua shifts up in his seat and raises his hand. Bremont frowns slightly as she processes Ace's words. "Ma'am, isn't the NLM going to be stretched to its limit as it is? Speaking frankly, it seems the NLM is going to have a high expected body count. I doubt the Nall will take this lightly...they are going to furious and their counter attack is going to be felt by the NLM." Urfkgar still doesn't seem to have anything to add to the talk, resting against the wall. Dirionis listens to Bremont and looks like he is about to add something, but he doesn't, looking towards Ace. "There will be air support," Ace says, "And da, I expect the nall, they will be very angry at a lot of us. The idea is to move in as quickly as possible, catch them by surprise and get those people the hell out. We will all of us be stretched thin, but it is the best we can do. Again, the NLM will not be alone in this." Joshua clears his throat before interjecting, "You mention 10,000 Nall. Is this number solely their strength on the ground? Or does this also comprise their naval strength as well?" "That is the approximate total strength of all the Nall stationed on Cairo," Ace replies, "Including their naval forces. However, it is not known if they are able to get support from any other locations within the Nexus. So far as we have been able to determine, that is all we will have to deal with." Bremont regards Ace closely as the Ungstiri woman speaks to Joshua. "And low long are we expected to hold this landing zone? The difficulty of getting -three- thousand prisoners while under heavy attack from a numerically superior enemy is...I don't even know how to describe it. There is also the factor that we will all be divided since there will be many different militia present. The Nall, on the other hand, will not be divided like we are. What is to stop them from simply overrunning the landing zone with Nall warriors as soon as the first troop drops occur?" Bremont raises a hand to her temple as she gives her head a small shake. Joshua turns to regard Bremont. "It is my understanding that the NLM shall have ultimate authority over all ground troops, regardless of who's soldiers they are," Joshua says, more to himself than anyone else. He turns to Ace, "Correct?" "A combination of air support, ground sabotage and however many of the prisoners are willing and able to fight," Ace meets Bremont's gaze through her mirrored glasses. "Our primary weapon in this operation is surprise. In the initial air strikes, the RNS and ships in their command will be targeting the Nall barracks and ships on the ground. That said, no one said it will be easy, da?" She looks over to Joshua and nods, "Da, the NLM is in charge of ground support as the RNS is in charge of space operations." Joshua smirks at the RNS comment. "And we shall give them a right good pounding, if the fighters under my command have any say in it," he quips, softly pounding his fist on the table. "And if the surprise doesn't work? What then, ma'am?" A scowl begins to form on Bremont's face. "I'm sorry ma'am, but even if we have final authority over the rest of the ground troops...it won't matter much at this late stage. The NLM can't be positive of the fighting capabilities of -all- the different assembled groups. If one mistake is made anywhere....there is going to be enormous heavy casualties for the ground unites." Dirionis raises his hand. Ace nods at Dirionis. Dirionis bites his lip, as he hears Bremont, then speaks, " You mentioned earlier of hopeful sabotaging from the infiltration team, did you have anything in mind?" "The Jackals are our sabotage team," Ace replies, "If you have ever seen them cut loose, who knows what havoc they can wreak. However, their primary targets will be the Nall control room and the heavy weapons batteries." Dirionis continues, putting a hand to his chin. " Is there any way, any type of sabotage that could aid the ground team specifically?" Ace frowns, "Indirectly, da," she explains. "By disabling control and ground to air weapons on the base, they will allow the ships to approach closer and to do more damage on the ground. This in turn will give the ground troops greater support from the skies." "The Jackals?" Bremont asks with some anger infiltrating her voice. "The lives of all the ground units depend on a group of civilians? That's asking a lot to put that much blind faith. I only care about one thing, and that is preserving the lives of those prisoners and my fellow soldiers who are going to be on the ground in the thick of this firefight. What is to prevent the ground forces from being completely wiped out? Air superiority is not ensured in this operation, so how can we count on it? " Urfkgar continues to just kind of lurk against the wall with his good eye tracking back and forth towards the current speaker. Dirionis twiddles his thumbs, still leaning against the wall. " Aurore..." He says from his spot on the wall. Joshua sits back in his chair with hands clasped in before his face. "The destruction of any central communications centers could also delay a Nall counter attack." Ace simply looks at Bremont, "If you wanted guarantees, you should have signed up to be a starship salesman." Bremont rises from her seat with a glare aimed directly at Ace. "We may be marines, but we are not gods. We bleed, and we die. Is that what you are asking us to do? To bleed and die while we put all our hope in a group of civilians? If it were special forces, or even marines commencing the infiltration...I would not protest, but this is not the case." Bremont angrily retakes her seat after a moment, her eyes still on Ace. Dirionis turns his gaze over to Bremont, " Hey, we'll take care of our job, they'll take care of theirs. There a tough bunch." "I am the kapitan of an independent freighter," Ace replies quietly, her tone calm and level as she stares at Bremont. "And I am leading this entire operation. I have no doubt that, with the exception of Urf, I could most likely mop up the floor with any one of you, and that is not simply idle bragging. If you wish to judge anyone simply by their uniforms or lack thereof, then there will be many people on this mission who you will dismiss without true cause. All of us...including the Jackals...are putting our lives on the line for this, and their blood, it is the same color as yours despite the lack of any military decoration or ability to properly salute." Bremont is not amused by the Ungstiri woman's words. "I don't care whether or not a starship captain can personally 'mop the floor' with me. I care about the 10,000 Nall who would like to do a bit more than 'mop the floor' with me and my fellow marines. You speak of the NLM, and the other militias as if they are simply numbers to you, but they are not. If this is how you would like to run you operation, then I am going to personally hold you accountable for every NLM marine that loses their life because of this 'plan' of yours. With the way things go now, there will be many needless deaths. I just hope the sacrifice you are asking for is worth it. That is if we even manage to get any of the prisoners out." Bremont gives her head a small shake as she finishes speaking. "The number of Nall you encounter will be far less than 10,000 as some of them are crew aboard the ships that our end will be contending with," Joshua remarks in the Ungstiri's defense. The Zangali grunts vaguely when his name gets brought up, but he doesn't comment as his eye moves back towards Bremont for her response. Then, he shifts his attention towards Ace in anticipation of her next statement. Dirionis grunts as he is being ignored. He stands behind Bremont's chair, " Hey, Aurore...It'll be alright. This is what we're trained to do." "You are a soldier," Ace says, her gaze and tone never wavering. "It is not for you to decide who to hold responsible or to debate what plans are going to be used. Your job, it is to do as you are told by your commanding officers. I personally do not care who you wish to blame or praise depending upon whether or not this plan fails or succeeds. No plan is perfect, no plan survives once the fighting begins and every military throughout history have had their share of successes and failures. It is not for you to judge me or any of your superiors. It is for you to do the job you were trained to do and to do it well. Others on this operation, they will all be doing the same." "At one point of my life, I could accept something as easy as that. I can no longer do so. I have seen civilians who think they all high and mighty condemn thousands of people to their death. This happened because someone did not stop that civilian, and I am not going to sit around and let another civilian needlessly determine the fates of NLM marines' lives." Bremont's voice is not outright angry, but it is definitely not pleasant or friendly. "You will not be fighting beside me. You will be not be the one dying beside me either. That is why I voice my protest. Those 'Jackals' can very well succeed, but the ground units can still be crushed. A massacre. All because you are unwilling to look at this operation from a military prospective." "Stupid softskin girly no marine boss," says the lizard from his place against the wall. "Marines work stupid softskin girly. Marines boss stupid softskin place. Marines boss Urf. Now. Urf no know." There's a pause, and then he says, "No now. Know all killeded. No want go. No go. Stupid marines want go. Go. Killeded. No need marines want go killeded." Dirionis looks towards Urfkgar for any type of comment or aid into the conversation, he's happy once he hears something, he nods. " It's what we do. Risk." "I believe the old adage is, 'It's not a soldier’s job to questions why, but to do and die'," Joshua says dryly. "Again, I do not care what you accept and what you do not," Ace replies, "And for every 'a civilian got them killed' story I can counter it with 'a soldier got them killed' one." She looks back to Urf and nods, "I am overseeing this operation, but it is Urf who is in charge of you, da. As to a military perspective? You were most likely in diapers when I wore a uniform and you clearly do not have experience in such matters or you would know that you use every asset and every resource you can when it comes to saving lives. You do not ignore a resource simply because they lack the same training as you...you learn to use what you have. The Jackals, they are competent at what they do and I will use them in the manner in which they can best serve us all. We will also be using civilian freighters to move the prisoners. And you are also very wrong on one critical point." Ace stares long and hard at Bremont, "I will be down there fighting beside you. I will be leading the infiltration team." Bremont shakes her head as she points to Joshua and then to Ace. "You two will -not- be fighting along side the NLM. Besides, an infiltration team will not be as high on the Nall's list of priorities when there will be marines on the ground. The bulk of the fighting will fall on the marines. Us." Bremont now points towards Dirionis, a few of the other marines at the table, and then at Urf. "We will be the ones fighting. We can only do so much with faulty planning, allow us marines to do what we do best and then we can talk. As long as you shout commands while you are not on the frontlines, I can not agree to them. Like Dirionis said...you do your job and let us do our job." Urfkgar grunts and nods to Ace before he lapses back into silence in his place against the wall. He isn't quiet too long because he ends up telling Bremont, "Shorty nally want kill all stuff." "I would not say I will be in any less peril," Joshua says indignantly, "You may well see me in the course of the battle over your head." "For some reason," Ace gives a slight shake of her head, her mouth quirking up into a hint of a dark and unhappy smile as she replies, "You seem to think that you are in more danger than anyone else. You with your armor and your weapons and your training...are you that bad a marine that you feel your fighting skills will not be enough? I will be in the middle of the prisoner camp, organizing a revolt and escape with nothing but the shirt on my back. The Jackals, they will be down there without air or ground support causing as much damage and distraction as possible in order to give you the chance to do your job. Overhead, brave men like Joshua will be fighting Nall both in the skies and on the ground to provide you the cover fire you will need. If you wish to try to make a martyr of yourself, then you are in the wrong company. Your risk is no greater than anyone else's and in many ways, it is less. You will not have to worry about being discovered too soon. By the time you land, Lucius and his men will have secured the landing area for you, I will have made the prisoners alert and ready, possibly already fighting, the Jackals will have already drawn the Nall's attention and the flyers will have already dodged incoming barrages to put you where you need to be. You mock the efforts of everyone, your own fellow soldiers included, by your petulant whining. Da, you may die...I may die...he may die," she points at Joshua, "But that is a risk we have all agreed to take either by volunteering for this mission or volunteering for military service. If you cannot hack it, perhaps you should consider a less dangerous line of work." Bremont rises as Ace's words turn personal. "You came up with that plan. So, if it fails...you can only blame yourself. I do not have the luxury. I am following a plan laid out by a civilian who is attempting to coordinate a prisoner raid that is being performed my military units. Please, allow the leaders of all the ground units to organize their own plan. Let them do their job. I will follow the Chief no matter what happens after we land. I would die for the Chief, because I have trained and lived under his jurisdiction. He knows what the marines can and can not do. I am certain that you can not say the same about yourself after hearing your plan. You are not the Chief and you are not even a general or officer in the military. Again, I plead with you, allow the ground unit leaders to plan the ground assault. It is their men in combat, so they should be entitled to make their own combat plan." Bremont keeps a steady gaze on the sunglasses equipped woman. "Marine know job. Marine know stupid job marine hear stupid job. Stupid stuff no marine no know marine job. Stupid stuff no know stupid stuff stupid stuff hear stupid stuff," says the Zangali from his place against the wall. "Killeded do job. All stupid stuff scram. No stuckeded morerer. Go. Killeded no do job. All stuckeded stuff stuck morerer time. No go. Urf Zangali. Urf mostererer goodererer marine all times. Urf mostererer goodererer basherer all times. Urf no know Urf want go. Marine no want go. Marine no stupid. Marine know morererer shorty nallies kill morerer stuff. Kill all stuff. No do job." Dirionis backs to the wall, near the door, folding his arms. "Are you..." Ace actually laughs, a quiet chuckle as she shakes her head again, "Have you listened to a word I have said? My job is to provide objectives. How you accomplish those objectives, that is up to Urf and his commanding officers. Your job, it is to open a path from the landing pad to the prisoners and assist them however you can in getting them back to the ships and off that rock. You have your objective. If you do not think you can handle it, then do not go. If you do not want to risk your life, get another job. It is just that simple." Joshua turns to regard Bremont. "Keep in mind that all three groups shall be working in concert." Dirionis eyes the door, about ready to leave. Bremont glances back at few of the other marines seated around the table before looking at Ace. "You don't seem to be hearing a word -I- have said. I would at least advise you to listen to what the Chief has to say. And if you are going to stand there and belittle my integrity as a marine then....hammer away...as it will change little. I speak not on behalf of myself, but on behalf of the marines who will be fighting and dying under the leadership of a civilian who has little care for the lives are marines. If you want us to kill our enemies then let us do it on -our- terms...not yours." Bremont retakes her seat and gives a smile of her own. "I will not reiterate anymore. I have said what I needed to say. Whether or not it does any good...." She now shrugs. "We will see." Dirionis gives a nod to them,"Excuse me." And he steps outside the door. Ace just sighs, "If everyone sets their own objectives, then nothing will get done, but you do not see this. As to whether or not I wear a uniform at this moment, it says nothing about my history, my abilities and my knowledge of command. As to what I care about, you have no clue and simply jump to whatever assumptions you choose based on a short, military briefing which is, as it should be, impersonal and unemotional. I was laying out tactics and objectives, nothing more. If you expect heartfelt apologies or tears, then you should perhaps speak to a therapist. If you want a professional briefing and discussion, then you need to act like a professional and not a child looking to hear how much her mother loves her and worries about her. You do your job," she says, "You accomplish your objectives. I will do mine." She turns on her heel, then, looking up to Urf. "You have all the information you need except for the total number of forces that we have gathered. As soon as I get those numbers, I will give them to you." "No now. Urf no know what stupid softskin girly want Urf do. Now. Urf know. Urf need do morerer stuff. Stuff Urf doeded. No stuff stupid softskin girly want Urf marines do," says the Zangali with a shrug. "Stupid softskin girly know morerer stuff. Talk Urf." Bremont offers the Ungstiri woman a broad grin after the woman's 'speech.' She attempts to restrain herself, but is unable to fully conceal her chuckle as she shakes her head. Bremont simply sits there in her seat with her grin, saying nothing as she refuses to add any more fuel to the fire. "Da, we will talk more later, Urf," Ace says with a nod. If she hears the laughter behind her, she doesn't show it as she addresses the big Zangali. "Can discuss it over drinks...whatever juice you wish, da?" She looks to Joshua with a smile, "Was good to see you again, lieutenant. Am proud to have someone like you fighting with us. Da svidaniya." "No stupid no goodererer juice," says Urfkgar. Bremont remains at the table without saying any further words or actions. She still smiles but doesn't do anything else. Joshua nods to Ace. "Aye, the pleasure is mine," he says with a bit of a smile, "Far be it for me to say it'll be a cake walk, but I feel we shall fare better than some imagine. I have every confidence in our fleets to support the ground offensive. And given the element of surprise, we shall have the upper hand for at least a short while. If we can cripple their lines of communication, it'll slow their ability to recoup as well." He smirks a bit, "It will be a pleasure to get a few of those handbags. They killed many find Sivadian men, my grandfather included." "Only the best, Urf," Ace grins as she leaves, "Only the best." She looks to Joshua, the smile turning into a more serious expression as she nods, "Lost much on Ungstir as well...more than I care to remember. Got a good deal of payback in the Birthright War, but for something like this...let us just say it will do many of us good to deal them a blow they will not soon forget, da?" A marine next to Bremont coughs and leans in toward her. "You know, I used to be a therapist before signing on with...." The marine is cut off by Bremont as she turns and gives him a scowl. She then proceeds to punch the marine lightly in the arm. Satisfied, she grins broadly and rises to her feet before heading for the door. The marine, in response, chuckles before offering Bremont a sarcastic wave as she leaves. Urfkgar grunts vaguely as the Ungstiri leaves, shifting his attention to those left at the table. Joshua rises slowly in his almost arrogant Sivadian way. "Well, I have a shuttle to catch and a report to write," he says tersely, "It was good to meet all of you, and may God protect us all in this endeavor." The Zangali shifts his attention to Joshua and gives the man an equally vague grunt as he gave Ace earlier. category:Military logs category:New Luna Militia Logs